Flexible coupling for a seat



Aug. 20, 1968 R. B. BUSH 3,397,912

I FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOR A SEAT I Filed June 2, 1965 a Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ROBIN B. BUSH BY 9L4.

Atlnrney fl- 1968 R. B. BUSH 3,397,912

FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOR A SEAT Filed June 2, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ROBIN B. BUSH BYA J Attorney Aug. 20, 1968 R. B. BUSH 3397391122 FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOR A SEAT Filed June 2, 1965 s Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR, ROBIN B. BUSH Attorney United States Patent 3,397,912 FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOR A SEAT Robin Beaufort Bush, 65 Cachet Parkway, RR. 1, Unionville, Ontario, Canada Filed June 2, 1965, Ser. No. 460,744 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 3, 1964, 23,027/ 64 1 Claim. (Cl. 297-355) This invention relates to flexible couplings and more particularly to adjustable flexible couplings embodied in a chair for connecting the seat to other parts, such as the back, to provide a means to comfortably accommodate persons of various sizes.

One object of the invention is to provide an adjustable chair wherein the back is resiliently hinged to the seat and the back is adjustable in a wide range of positions in relation to the seat, each position differing from the next by a small degree.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an attractive adjustable chair wherein the resilient adjustable coupling is concealed from view.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the detail of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to the like parts throughout and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view .of a chair incorporating one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is another view of one of the members shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of a chair showing the arrangement of the seat, back and arm in relation to the flexible coupling of the invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view showing the flexible coupling of the invention on the lines 5-5 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail the preferred embodiment of the chair includes a back and a seat 11 carried by a support member, generally denoted by the numeral 12 which is adjustably secured to the usual radial arms having casters at their outer ends. The back 10 and the seat 11 are advantageously constructed of steel plate shaped as illustrated in FIGURE 1 with the lower part 13 of the back shell 10 and the upper part 14 of the seat shell 11 overlapping, and connected at each side by a flexible coupling, generally denoted by the numeral 15, to be described later. The back 10 and the seat 11 are suitably covered on their inner surfaces by upholstery 16 which is finished at the edge by molding 17. In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1 an arm, generally denoted by the numeral 18, is connected to the seat 11 by means of the flexible coupling 15, but the invention is equally applicable to a chair without an arm.

The means for adjusting the position of the back 10 in relation to the seat 11 will now be described. The overlapping lower portion 13 of the back shell 10 has a circular aperture 19, the wall of which is provided with a series of teeth 20; by way of example and not by way of limitation the tooth spacing of the teeth 20 subtends an angle of 5 A lock plate, generally denoted by the numeral 21, covers the aperture 19, the flange 22 of the lock plate 21 hearing against the inner surface of the back shell portion 13. The head 23 of the lock plate 21 is preferably domed for the sake of appearance and is provided with a chrome finish. A circular flange 24 is provided on the inner surface of the lock plate 21 and the edge of the flange 24 has a series of teeth 25 with the same pitch as the series of teeth 20, thereby providing a lock on engagement.

The lock plate 21 has a centrally disposed abutment 26 3,397,912 Ce Patented Aug. 20, 1968 and a sleeve 27 traverses the abutment 26 and the head 23 of the lock plate 21. The sleeve 27 has a shoulder 28 positioned short of the lock plate head 23 which provides a recess 29 for the head 30 of a cap screw 31. The shank 32 of the screw 31 extends through the sleeve 27 and another shoulder 33 is provided adjacent the opposite end of the sleeve 27 to accommodate a ring 34 which cooperates with the shank 32 to provide a means for retaining the cap screw 31 in the sleeve 27.

The means for flexibly coupling the back 10 to the seat 1 will now be described. A diametrically opposed pair of spaced apart dowels 35 are provided on the face of the circular flange 24; the preferred shape of the dowels 35 is illustrated in FIGURE 2 being substantially triangular with the parallel bases each adjacent to the teeth 25. The spaced apart dowels 35 cooperate with a flexible member 36 separating the opposed surfaces of the lower part 13 of the back shell 10 and the upper part 14 of the seat shell 11. The flexible member 36 may be a convolute spring secured at its inward end to a sleeve sufficiently large to permit the passage of the shank 32 of'the screw 31 with a pair of spaced apart sleeves secured on one face to the turns of the convolute spring to accommodate the dowels 35 in position.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGURE 2 the flexible member 36 is a circular plug 37 composed of neoprene having a central aperture 38 large enough to accommodate the passage of the shank 32 of the screw 31. Intermediate of the aperture 38 and the perimeter of the plug 37 are four equally spaced apertures 39, either pair of which will accommodate the dowels 35 of the lock plate 21. The neoprene plug 37 is enclosed by a circular retaining ring 40 having a flange 41 which bears against the surface of the upper part 14 of the seat shell 11.

The upper part 14 of the seat shell 11 is secured to the flexible member 36 by means of a spaced pair of dowels 42 constructed similarly to the dowels 35 and cooperating with the flexible member 36 in the same manner. The dowels 42 may be integral with the upper part 14 of the seat shell 11 but in the preferred embodiment the dowels 42 are secured to the face of a cap member 43. Spigots 44 are also secured to the face of the cap member 43 and are conveniently, though not necessarily, positioned on the same circle as the opposed pair of dowels 42. The spigots 44 cooperate with apertures 45 located on the upper part 14 of the seat shell 11 thereby providing a means for securing through .the cap member 43. A pair of diametrical- 1y opposed apertures 46 are also provided in the upper part 14, these being dimensioned to permit the passage therethrough of the pair of dowels 42. Finally, an aperture 47 centrally disposed with respect to the apertures 45 is provided in the upper part of the seat shell 11 and this permits the passage therethrough of a centrally disposed abutment 48 provided on the face of the cap member 43. A thread 49 is provided in the abutment 48 and the thread 49 cooperates with the thread on the shank 32 of the screw 31.

The assembly of the coupling 15 with the lower part 13 of the back shell 10 and the overlapping upper part 14 of the seat shell 11 is more particularly illustrated in FIGURE 5. To effect this assembly the flexible member 36 with its surrounding circular retaining ring 40 is interposed between the lower part 13 of the upper part 14 after which the lock plate 21 is brought into contact with the lower part 13, the teeth 20 of the latter engaging with the toothed flange 24 of the lock plate 21. The opposed pair of dowels 35 of the lock plate 21 are located in a diametrically opposed pair of apertures 39 in the flexible member 36. Simultaneously the cap member 43 is brought into contact with the upper part 14 of the seat shell 11, the dowels 42 of the cap member 43 being located in the otherpairof-diametrically opposed apertures 39 in the flexible member 36; the assembly is then maintained in position by means of interengagement of the screw 31 with the threaded abutment 48 of the cap member 43.

Interlocking adjustment of the back shell 10 in relation to the seat shell 11 is efiected simply by releasing the screw 31, withdrawing the lock plate 21 and rotating the lower part 13 of the back shell 10 to the desired position, after which the teeth 20 are reengaged with the toothed flange 24 and the whole assembly maintained in position as described above.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a chair seat, a tiltable back and an overlapping support base comprising a flexible coupling having a first member made of resilient material interposed between said back and support base, said resilient member having two pairs of .opposed apertures, a second member removed from said first member and hearing against the face of one of said back and overlapping support base, said second member having extensions traversing the nearest of said back and overlapping support base and engaging one of said pairs of apertures, 21 third member removed from said first member and bearing against the other of said back and overlapping support base, said third member having extensions traversing the References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,943,464 7/1960 Voges.

3,099,485 7/1963 Bierback et a] 297373 3,157,433 11/ 1964 Davis 297-379 3,195,952 7/ 1965 Bache et a1 297-374 3,216,766 11/ 1965 Tabor 297-374 3,237,987 3/ 1966 James 297374 3,259,433 7/1966 Warner 297--367 3,271,811 9/1966 Flodell 297-373 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

GLENN O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CHAIR SEAT, A TILTABLE BACK AND AN OVERLAPPING SUPPORT BASE COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE COUPLING HAVING A FIRST MEMBER MADE OF RESILIENT MATERIAL INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID BACK AND SUPPORT BASE, SAID RESILIENT MAEMBER HAVING TWO PAIRS OF OPPOSED APERTURES, A SECOND MEMBER REMOVED FROM SAID FIRST MEMBER AND BEAR ING AGAINST THE FACE OF ONE OF SAID BACK AND OVERLAPPING SUPPORT BASE, SAID SECOND MEMBER HAVING EXTENSIONS TRAVERSING THE NEAREST OF SAID BACK AND OVERLAPPING SUPPORT BASE AND ENGAGING ONE OF SAID PAIRS OF APERTURES, A THIRD MEMBER REMOVED FROM SAID BACK FIRST MEMBER AND BEAR ING AGAINST THE OTHER OF SAID BACK AND OVERLAPPING SUPPORT BASE, SAID THIRD MEMBER HAVING EXTENSIONS TRAVERSING THE OTHER OF SAID BACK AND OVERLAPPING SUPPORT BASE AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF APERTURES, SAID ONE OF SAID BACK AND SUPPORT BASE HAVING AN APERTURE WITH PERIPHERAL TEETH THEREON AND SAID SECOND MEMBER HAVING A TOOTHED FLANGE ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID PERIPHERAL TEETH TO EFFECT ADJUSTABLE INTERLOCKING OF SAID TILTABLE BACK AND OVERLAPPING SUPPORT BASE. 